Uplift your performance through Value Stream Digitisation

The lessons we have learned from using fintech to enhance value streams.

What is Value Stream Digitisation?

Customer expectations are growing ever more quickly due to the rapid development of fintech. Customers expect 24/7, real-time, omnichannel access and support to maintain their financial assets and liabilities. This requires financial services firms to rethink their place in the value chain. And these developments have been so fast that organisations need to constantly align their internal processes with these new market demands.

Value Stream Digitisation (VSD) allows organisations to adapt to new market demands by digitising and automating value streams to improve their effectiveness, and by decommissioning old legacy systems. With this approach, human potential – which previously focused on administrative burdens – can be used for activities that create customer value. It helps your customers in getting 24/7 access to real-time services, via multiple channels. Other benefits include raising customer satisfaction, boosting competitive advantage, cutting costs, and increasing profits.

Some organisations may lack the internal technological capabilities to maximise the potential of VSD. In this case, fintech provided by external technology vendors could be the answer to digitise and improving the financial service value stream, considering the cost and benefits of this decision thoroughly on outsourcing your technological backbone.  

The Value Stream Digitisation process

During the process of VSD, internal and external digitisation opportunities are assessed to optimise existing business models and grasp new opportunities. There are endless examples, including digitisation of the value stream through low code technology; replacement of manual checks by automated API controls; or the use of artificial intelligence to determine the next best action for customers and employees.

At Delta Capita, we have three phases in our VSD approach:

Discover the options

The organisation should consider its end goals, which will clarify what the value chain should look like in the future and what demands need to be met.

By asking the right questions about upcoming changes collaboratively, the organisation enables shared determination of the target state, and it can determine how (enhanced) usage of technology can help to improve the value stream.

While exploring these options and technological solutions, you will experience where technological capabilities and knowledge are sufficient to manage the new systems and where to explore vendor solutions that could fill the gaps.

Design the possible

The desired target state is clear, but how will we get there? The next step requires decomposing selected use cases into a mapped value stream; a designed customer journey; service alignment; specified HR capabilities; clear data requirements; and a Proof of Concept to validate required IT functionalities. This approach reveals value stream impact and allows you to validate business cases, and create a prioritised roadmap.

Deliver the solution

The last phase is about making it happen. The outcomes of the two previous phases are bundled into a plan of approach. A ‘T-shaped’ team is composed with a balanced combination of general and in-depth knowledge and experience. The roadmap is converted into a backlog with Epics, Features and User Stories. The Agile development process has been kicked-off, and progress is tracked against goals.

As the world keeps evolving, you should view all parts of the Agile development cycle in the context of a changing vision, priority of selected use cases, and the designed customer journey. So adapt your plans when needed!

Lessons we’ve learned

Standardisation will reduce the time and costs to change up to 50% – Standardisation of processes and IT unlocks the opportunity for omni-channel experiences and improves the speed and flexibility of change significantly.

From low-hanging fruit to fine-tuned solutions – In line with Agile methodologies, we believe in an incremental and cyclical improvement process. Never forget to balance effort and potential outcome of required change. Focus on obvious changes with direct impact before focusing on complex changes with longer lead times. This will benefit morale and support for further changes.

Look beyond the technology – Successful VSD requires a well-tuned target operating model. Without the right mix of people, processes and technology, it is impossible to deliver a compelling service offering.

Find vendors with the right capabilities – The vendor’s capabilities – such as support and maintenance – are as important as the selected technology. Thoroughly assess against a scorecard aligned to what you want to achieve, and discuss in-depth with the vendor before making your final choice.

Build in-house capabilities to remain independent – Organisations often lack the internal capabilities to manage new technologies. This could lead to dependence on expensive external partners. Find the right balance between internal and external.


Conclusion: outlive your competition

Those who adapt their value chains to be ahead of the curve will beat and outlive their competition. The competition is fierce, and change is the only constant. Apply our approach and take the lessons we’ve learned into account to deliver digitised, automated, simple and easy-to-understand services with the flexibility to adjust. Your cost/income ratio will improve and customer and employee satisfaction will increase.


How Delta Capita can help

Delta Capita is unique in that we are not just aware of the fintech ecosystem, we are part of it. This enables us to develop tailored and independent solutions based on our expertise, experience, and network. We look forward to helping you develop in-house capabilities and reinvent your value stream.

Want to hear more? Please reach out to Loek Bleijswijk, Head of Retail Banking, or Wouter Pijl, Head of Pensions and Digital & Performance.

Colleagues Abigail Aageson and Delano van der Wal also contributed to the article.

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